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HISTOEY 



THE INFIRMARY AND CHAPEL 



OF THE 



HOSPITAL AND COLLEGE 



OF 



St $a!m % (ftbmxQdtet nt Cambridge. 



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PRINTED BT C. J. CLAY, M.A. 

AT THE UNIVERSITY PRESS. 








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HISTORY 



OP 



THE INFIKMAEY AND CHAPEL 



OF THE 



HOSPITAL AND COLLEGE 



OF 



St Jfj&jm % <$bmt0clisi at Cambridge. 



BY 



HARLES CARD ALE BABINGTON, M.A., F.R.S., F.S.A. 

PROFESSOR OP BOTANY IN THE UNIVERSITY OP CAMBRIDGE. 




CAMBRIDGE: 

DEIGHTON, BELL, AND CO. 

LONDON: GEORGE BELL AND SONS. 

1874. 



PREFACE. 

The object of this little work is to' describe the remains 
of St John's Hospital, which were removed to make way for 
the New Chapel of St John's College, and to point out the 
alterations which they had undergone to accommodate them 
to the use of the Hospital and College at various periods of 
their long history. The alterations became apparent during 
the removal of the old buildings, before which time many of 
them were quite forgotten. What was then observed has 
rendered it possible to restore in description the Chapel and 
Infirmary nearly to the state in which they were when oc- 
cupied by the Hospital ; and also when altered for the use of 
the College; and other more recent changes. 

Many drawings, photographs and measurements were 
taken before and during the progress of the demolition, and 
from these the Plates which accompany this Essay have been 
prepared. A few of these illustrations have already appeared 
in the "Communications" of the Cambridge Antiquarian 
Society and the "Eagle;" some have been reduced from 
photographs taken by the late Mr. Nichols and printed by 
the Autotype process; and the remainder are lithographs. 

Copies of the inscriptions on the tombs in the old Chapel 
are appended, and also a catalogue of the slabs, nearly all of 
which were removed from the old and placed in the new 



VI PREFACE. 

Chapel. As these latter are not so liable to injury as those 
now exposed to the weather on the site of the old building, 
it has not been considered necessary or desirable to do more 
than give a list of them. 

The last chapter is devoted to a short account of the new 
Chapel. For most of the information there given, I am in- 
debted to the Rev. H. Russell, B.D., Fellow of the College. 

I am also much indebted to the Master and Fellows for 
their liberality in bearing all the expense of the letter-press 
and illustrations. 



Cambridge, 

May 6, 1874. 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTEB I. 

Pagb 

Introduction 1 



CHAPTER II. 
The Hospital 4 

CHAPTER HI. 
The Infirmary G 

CHAPTER IV. 
The Interior of the Chapel 12 

CHAPTER V. 
The Exterior of the Chapel 21 

CHAPTER VI. 

Inscriptions on Tombs in the old Chapel; and list of tablets removed 
from it to the new Chapel 29 

CHAPTER VII. 
The new Chapel 34 



Descriptions of Plans and Plates 46 



CHAPTER I. 

Introduction. 

The question has been asked "Why has St John's College 
built a new chapel in a style two centuries older than the 
college itself?" The answer will be found in the following 
pages, which contain a description of all that could be dis- 
covered concerning the old chapel of the college before and 
during its demolition. It will be seen that the new chapel is 
in exactly the same style of architecture as that which was 
used by the college from the time of its foundation (A.D. 1511) 
until May 12, 1869. That building was erected for the use 
of the hospital which preceded the college at a time when the 
Early English style was changing into the Decorated. Of 
this ample proof existed in the quire-arch and various string- 
courses, and was fully confirmed, if confirmation was requisite, 
when the original window-openings were brought to light by 
the removal of the inserted Perpendicular windows. But it 
may still be said that it was foolish to erect a new chapel in 
that early style which had not been used for many years when 
the college was founded, and to the use of which we had 
therefore no just claim. To this it may be fairly answered 
that although the body existing under the present charter 
was founded by that charter on April 9, 1511, it is neverthe- 
less as completely a continuation of the much older com- 
munity which went by the name of the Hospital of St John 
the Evangelist, as are our present municipal corporations of 
those which existed iu the Middle Ages, for they have been 

1 



2 THE HISTORY OF ST JOHN'S COLLEGE CHAPEL. 

several times dissolved and reincorporated, yet their conti- 
nuity is never disputed. 

Like them, the Hospital of St John, which had long been 
affiliated to the University 1 , was dissolved by competent au- 
thority, and a new charter given to constitute an exclusively 
academic body in its place : a body endowed with the property 
and rights and burdened with most of the duties of its prede- 
cessor. 

Although the academic body cannot therefore claim to 
have existed as such before the time of Edward IV., or exclu- 
sively as a college before that of Henry VII., the incorporation 
has existed ever since the reign of Henry II., and indeed Bp. 
Hugh de Balsham declared it to be a college before 1284 
(temp. Edward I.). 

It is proposed in the following pages to give an account 
of the buildings which belonged to the hospital as far as they 
could be ascertained, and similarly of the chapel of the college. 
For a full history of the corporate body itself reference must 
be made to Prof. J. E. B. Mayor's very valuable edition of 
Baker's " History of St John's College." 

It is hoped that this account will be of interest to the 
members of the "ancient and religious" foundation and also 
to some persons who have never been connected with our 
college or even university. For it is curious and instructive 
to trace the changes which our old ecclesiastical buildings 
have undergone as time has altered the habits, duties, employ- 
ments and tastes of their occupants. 

In the reign of Henry II., or at about that time, a burgess 
of Cambridge named Henry Frost founded on a piece of 
waste land a small hospital for poor sick and infirm persons, 
and then or shortly afterwards Augustinian Brethren were 
placed in charge of it. The foundation deeds have long been 
lost, and no copy of them exists. The brethren retained pos- 
session until the lady Margaret, countess of Richmond and 
mother of King Henry VII., obtained papal bulls and the 
other requisite powers to remove them and establish in their 
stead the collegiate body which still exists. At that time the 

1 Iu the time of John Dunham (Master, a.d. 1173), see Mayor's Baker, 
40. 



INTRODUCTION. 3 

hospital had fallen into a very decayed state 5 there beiiig 
only the master and three brothers remaining (Baker, 50), 
and its buildings seem also to have been very much out of 
repair (Baker, 67. 39). We therefore find in these buildings, 
and those of the college, a series of changes extending over a 
period of at least six hundred years : an architectural history 
which no other building in the University can ishew, except 
the chapel of Jesus College. Unfortunately, all these inter* 
esting buildings had to be removed, but without their re- 
moval we could not have obtained the knowledge of them 
which we now possess, as many of their most interesting 
features were hidden by the successive alterations which had 
been considered desirable or necessary to fit them for their 
modern uses. 



1—2 



CHAPTER II. 

Hospital. 

The two buildings that have recently been pulled down were 
erected for the use of the Hospital. They were (1) the 
Infirmary, and (2) the Chapel. They were erected for the 
hospital, but much altered to accommodate them to the re- 
quirements of the college. With the domestic buildings we 
have nothing to do : indeed we know nothing of those of the 
hospital ; not even their site. In its earliest state the hospital 
probably did not require more than a single large and long 
room, of which the eastern end formed an oratory. In this 
the "poor and infirm " persons, for whose benefit the hospital 
was founded in or before the time of Nigellus, Bp. of Ely 
(a.d. 1133 — 69), were received, and mass said for them and in 
their sight as they lay in their beds. 

In those early times the foundation appears to have been 
very poor, and in all probability the room used for these pur- 
poses was a wooden edifice similar to the houses of the town. 
But soon afterwards (between the years 1180 and 1200) a 
stone building with an oratory was erected. The remains of 
this building existed until quite recently, although nearly all 
its architectural features were obscured by its alteration into 
chambers for students. It will be called the Infirmary in 
this essay, but was popularly known as the " Labyrinth." The 
Augustinian brethren seem soon to have required a separate 
chapel for their devotions, and accordingly in the latter half 
of the thirteenth century a distinct and rather large chapel 



HOSPITAL. 5 

was erected for them, and this was the building which con- 
tinued in use (although with considerable alterations) by the 
hospital and college until 1869. Probably the attempt of 
Bp. Hugh de Balsham to place secular scholars in the same 
house as the Augustinian brethren (a.d. 1280) may have 
rendered it necessary to erect this large chapel. 

As far as we can learn, either from records or from the 
building itself, this chapel remained unaltered until it was 
remodelled for the use of the college (A. D. 1514) and its 
ancient architectural appearance destroyed. At that time 
also, or soon afterwards^ the four chantries were added; a 
part was secularised to form a lodging for the master, and 
the infirmary finally devoted to secular uses. At a later 
period, for the exact time is unknown, the floor was raised 
about 1 foot 9 inches ; and still later the chamber (possibly 
used for an organ) over Fisher's chantry was appropriated 
by the master, Leonard Pilkington, to his own use. He at 
that time also converted the infirmary into a stable and 
storehouse. It is possible likewise that it was he who 
made Ashton's chantry an appendage to the lodge. The 
last alteration to be noticed was the destruction of Thompson's 
and Keyton's chantries, which still existed when Logan's 
view of the college was taken (c. 1688). 

A reference to the ground-plan (Plan 3) will shew the 
situation of the several buildings and render the description 
of them more intelligible. 



CHAPTER III. 

The Infirmary. 

Until the necessity arose of removing the Infirmary to 
admit of the erection of the new chapel, nothing was known 
of its real architectural character, nor did any tradition 
remain of its original use or its age. It had been so com- 
pletely disguised by alterations that scarcely any traces of 
antiquity could be seen about it. 

On the side next St John's Lane there were the outlines 
of an old doorway which had manifestly been altered at 
least once, and of two or three lancet-windows. These were 
so faint as not neoessarily to convey any idea of their age. 
On the side next the college all the old work was destroyed 
or hidden by modern alterations. The east end was ap- 
parently of Tudor date or even later, and presented to view 
in St John's Street a wall of red brick terminating in a gable 
and pierced by three very late windows whioh gave light to 
three floors, The west end was, as far as we know, always 
plain and devoid of any openings. 

The removal of the floors shewed that the whole building 
had formed one long room, 78 feet 4 inches in length and 
22 feet 3 inches in breadth internally ; also that there had 
been Early English lancet-windows in its north wall. The 
walls were very hastily removed, for as no idea existed of their 
possessing any interest, the contractors were allowed to proceed 
as they pleased in olearing the ground. The building, when it 
came into their hands, was only considered as three floors of 
very bad students' rooms, which we were all glad for the credit 
of the college should never again be occupied. Attempts were 



THE INFIRMARY. 7 

made, after the interior was partially cleared, to ascertain the 
original state of the building, but without much success. 
Those who had altered one fine room into three flooi'S of 
chambers had effectually hidden all the architectural features 
which it once possessed ; internally, by carefully filling up 
every hollow, levelling all projections, and covering the walls 
with a coat of very hard plaster; and externally, by the new 
face of brick-work on the east end, and the insertion of late 
windows wherever they were required. 

When the wall forming the east end was taken down, 
very little attention was paid to its structure ; but fortunately 
before it was completely destroyed Prof. Willis and the Rev. 
D. J. Stewart had an opportunity of examining it, and they 
discovered that the east end of the room had originally been 
lighted by an Early English triplet. They saw some of the 
stones of these windows in situ, and had an opportunity of 
examining others. They also took careful note of their 
mouldings, and I have been favoured by them with the use 
of their drawings, and permission to publish part of them on 
the accompanying Plate (II). 

Fortunately it was necessary to retain a part of the south 
wall, to prevent the back of Bp. Fisher's chantry, which was 
full of seats used in connection with the chapel, being laid 
open. This part of the wall had recently formed one side of 
the passage made to give access to the Labyrinth, and had 
therefore been carefully flattened, plastered and whitewashed. 
The removal of this plaster exposed to view some beautiful 
remnants of the old edifice. A view of these taken from a 
photograph is annexed (PI. 10). It will be seen that a 
series of Early English lancet-windows was found, as well as 
some other curious and somewhat unintelligible remains. 
We may perhaps judge of the original state of each wall of 
this building by these remnants of that on the south side. 
The windows were of the earliest form of the Early English 
style. It is probable that they, together with the remainder 
of the edifice, were erected between the years 1180 and 1200, 
as we know from an ordinance of the Bishop of Ely (1208) 
that the hospital had a chapel or some oratory at that date ; 
for he then made an order to defend the parson of All 



8 THE HISTORY OF ST JOHN'S COLLEGE CHAPEL. 

Saints' Church from any loss by the parishioners of that 
parish being admitted to sacraments or oblations by the 
master and brethren of St John's Hospital : and the convent 
of St Rhadegund also granted free and pure chantry to the 
hospital for ever. 

The range of windows was not continued at equal 
intervals from one end of the room to the other, neither were 
they all equally elaborate in their decoration. Commencing 
from the eastern end, the first window (which was 18 inches 
from the inner side of the eastern wall) was furnished with 
the most elaborate mouldings proper to its style, and had a 
shaft in each of its jambs. The crown of this, as of all the 
other windows, was raised 14ft. Gin. above the floor; the 
openings were 5 ft. 9 in. in height, and 9 inches wide ; the 
window-sills were about 7 ft. from the ground ; and the slopes 
descended from their sills to within G ft. 3 in. of the floor. 
The other windows were plain but good examples of the 
lancet-windows of the latter part of the 12th century. The 
space intervening between the splay of the first and second 
windows was 7 ft. 6 in., and that between their actual open- 
ings was 10 feet. The second, third and fourth windows 
were 4 ft. 6 in. apart, the distance between their inner jambs 
being 2 ft. 6 in. Between the fourth and fifth windows there 
was a blank space of nine feet. A series similar in all respects 
to the second, third and fourth windows doubtless followed, but 
we only found traces of two of these, as the others to the 
west of them had been totally destroyed, or completely 
altered, when the building was adapted to domestic purposes. 
As the wall extended 25 feet 5 inches to the west of the 
sixth window, we may reasonably conclude that at least 
three more openings originally existed. 

It will be seen that the uniformity of this range of 
windows is broken in two places, (1) by an interval of 
7 ft. 6 in. between the first and second, and (2) by a space of 
9 feet between the fourth and fifth. In the latter space (2) 
traces remained of a doorway, from which all the ashler had 
been long since removed. It seems to have been an entrance 
into the infirmary from the south, as was a similarly situated 
doorway on the north side of the room from St John's Lane. 



THE INFIKMARY. 9 

The former therefore was probably the way to the private 
part of the hospital, the latter the way to the town. These 
doorways had both been much altered, by more modern 
arches being inserted in them, before they ceased to be used 
or wanted as open passages. 

The removal of the plaster exposed to view, in the space 
(1) between the first and second windows, a very beautiful 
double Piscina, much resembling those at Jesus College and 
at Histon, and of so nearly the same date, that there is a very 
great probability of their having been designed and executed 
by the same persons. Our piscina is wider but not so lofty 
as that at Jesus College ; the lateral shafts are quite free, and 
are not continued below the drains; the spandrels and the 
central space between the interpenetrating mouldings are 
open ; there is a continuous open space extending from side 
to side at the back, but the springers have projections con- 
necting them with the wall, laterally in the case of the 
lateral, and posteriorly in that of the central springers, which 
is a very peculiar and uncommon construction. The whole 
was probably inclosed in a compartment like that at Jesus 
College, but of this no part remained, although a roughly 
chiselled line was in exactly the place where it should have 
been. All the projecting parts of the mouldings were planed 
down, so as to form a level surface for the plaster with which 
the wall was coated, and the frame (which adds so much to 
the beauty of that at Jesus College) probably disappeared by 
that barbarous treatment. The basins of the drains differed; 
that to the right was circular, that on the left hand formed a 
quatrefoil, but they were very rudely made, and the whole 
work, although beautifully designed, and very effective in 
appearance, is found on close inspection to be rather roughly 
executed. The sill, the shafts, and their bases are of Barnack 
stone, but the arches of clunch. This piscina forms a square 
of about 5 feet 6 inches in front, and the hollow penetrates 
9 inches into the wall. It was 3 ft. 6 in. above the floor. 
The Plates (12 and 13) will shew the features of this 
beautiful work, and its sad state when uncovered, far better 
than any more elaborate description. They are engraved 
from fine photographs taken by Mr Nichols. Sir G. G. Scott 



10 THE HISTORY OF ST JOHN'S COLLEGE CHAPEL. 

has removed it into the new chapel, and has made such 
repairs as were absolutely necessary. 

Above the piscina there was a rectangular opening, shewn 
on PI. 10, passing quite through the wall, 3 ft. in height by 
1^ ft. wide. It was almost entirely plain and had been closed 
by a shutter. It seemed to have been part of the original 
work, and may have opened into some narrow passage con- 
necting this part of the infirmary with the ancient dormitory 
of the brethren, but of this we know nothing, not even where 
the dormitory was situated. It could only have been in- 
tended to look through, so as to see what was passing in the 
infirmary without entering it. The sills of the first, third 
and fifth windows had been destroyed at a late date, to admit 
of doorways being made below them, two of which remained 
in use until the destruction of the building. The use of 
that formerly under the third window is not apparent, as it 
seemed to be of later date than the erection of Fisher's 
chantry, into which it must have opened. As we know 
nothing of the use made of the infirmary after the dissolu- 
tion of the Hospital, until the time when Leonard Pilkington 
was master of the college, and the infirmary was finally 
applied to secular uses, there may then have been some 
advantage in having a communication between the chantry 
and the infirmary. It is remarkable that this doorway 
should have been required, as the much older one between 
the fourth and fifth windows already existed, and would have 
afforded such a communication. It is taken for granted that 
this building was the infirmary of the Hospital, and the style 
of its architecture shews that it was erected in the last 
quarter of the 12th century, at or about the time when the 
Augustinian brethren were added to the old foundation. 
The room was doubtless divided into two parts by a wooden 
screen, the exact situation of which it is now impossible to 
determine. The eastern division would then form the oratory 
of the brethren ; the western the infirmary for the sick. By 
this common mediaeval arrangement, the sick persons had 
the advantage of being present at the services of the 
church without moving from their beds. Many instances of 
this arrangement still exist in Roman Catholic countries ; 



THE INFIRMARY. 11 

the remains of such buildings are found in England, and in a 
few cases the oratory and hospital continue in use as of old 
only so much alteration having been made as was necessary 
to meet the requirements of modern times. The presence of 
the piscina clearly shews that there was an altar at the 
eastern end of this building, and the more elaborate character 
of the easternmost of the observed windows proves that that 
end of the room was more highly decorated than the rest, 
probably as being rendered sacred by the services of the 
Church. 

In the time of Baker this building was believed to have 
been the old chapel of the House, but in a late note to his 
history he supposed it to have been the chapel of St John 
the Baptist " whereof mention is made both in Bp. Alcock's 
register and Caius." But this is an oversight, as he probably 
had in view St John's Hostel, which stood near St John the 
Baptist's Church, on the site of King's College, for I cannot 
find any notice of it in Caii Historia, or his Be antiquitate 
Cantabvigiensis Academiae; or he may have been misled by 
the error committed in A.D. 1312, when the master of this 
House was taxed to a tallage as of the Hospital of St John the 
Baptist. The first notice of it occurs in 1560 when Fisher's and 
Ashton's chantries were deprived of their altars, the chamber 
over the former turned into a chamber for the advantage of 
the master, the infirmary made into stables for the master's 
horses, and its eastern end (the oratory) made into a store- 
house for the college. This happened when Leonard Pilk- 
ington was master (Baker, 153). Baker (43) shews from the 
college-books that this was the position of the stables in 1573 
when Caius wrote his work Be antiquitate, &c. and Caius 
(106) tells us that the stables were in the ancient chapel of 
the hospital. His words are: "vetus sacellum fratrum 
Sancti Joannis Evangelistae (quod jam Collegii Sancti 
Joannis stabulum est)." In 1587 — 8 the horses and goods 
were removed and the three floors of rooms formed in it. 
Baker quotes from the Liber Thesaurarii of this date that 
"hospitium novum intra precinctum collegii, ubi olim erat 
hospitale D. Johannis " was formed by L. Pilkington. 



CHAPTER IV. 

The interior of the Chapel. 

We have already mentioned that in the latter half of the 
13th century the Augustinian brethren found it advisable to 
erect a chapel for their own use quite distinct from the infir- 
mary, although they probably retained the oratory at the east 
end of that room for the benefit of the sick, to whom a con- 
siderable part of the revenues of the hospital were, or ought 
to have been devoted. It has also been suggested that the 
introduction of Secular scholars into the house by Hugh de 
Balsham in 1280 may have been one, and perhaps the chief 
reason for the erection of a large and separate chapel, the 
quire of which must always have been far larger than was re- 
quired for the master and five or six Regular brethren. 

It is well known that those Secular scholars did not agree 

o 

well with the Regular brethren, and were soon removed to 
form the college of St Peter. 

The chapel was about 121ft. long by 25 J ft. broad. It 
was divided into three parts by two transverse walls each 
pierced by a large and lofty arch 15 ft. wide and 47^ ft. high 
and placed about 13 ft. apart. To the east of them was the 
quire and to the west the nave or ante-chapel. These walls 
were probably connected above by arches and supported a 
slender tower 15 or 1G feet square, but of which no trace, 
except the existence of one of these walk and the foundations 
of the other, remained after the building had been altered to 
suit the requirements of the college. 



THE INTERIOR OF THE CHAPEL. 13 

The original quire was 63 ft. long; the nave 44 ft.; the 
place between the tower-arches 13 ft. 3 in. from east to west. 
The windows were in the Early Decorated style ; one at the 
east end, three on each side of the quire; none in the space 
under the tower; one on each side a little, to the west of the 
tower, but no others in the nave except the west window 
itself. The east window was 19| ft. wide, and certainly not 
less than 30 ft. high. It consisted of three lights, as known 
with certainty from the original plan of it drawn upon apiece 
of clunch which was found in the wall. Similar mediasval 
architects' plans have been found, although very rarely, drawn 
upon stones and employed as building material when done 
with. This plan has been exactly copied from a rubbing in 
PI. 9. The bases of attached shafts like those of the other 
windows remained to shew its width. The side windows were 
8 ft. wide and 20 ft. high, their sill being 7 ft. 7 in. from the 
floor: with the exception of that on the south side nearest 
to the east, the sill of which was 11 ft. above the floor, so as to 
clear the roof of a sacristy which seems to have existed there, 
and of which the foundations and one of the jambs of the door 
remained. All these windows appear to have been contem- 
porary, except the west window, which was rather more modern 
although still of the Decorated style. The west window was 
probably 12 ft. wide, but its height has not been discovered, 
owing to the very great alterations which were made in the 
western wall. A small portion of its sill and part of one jamb 
are all that remained, but the discontinuance of an ancient 
stringcourse in the wall led to the determination of its pro- 
bable width. (See PL 8.) 

In the south wall close to the site of the altar there was 
a small ambry, 17 inches wide by 2 ft. 3 in. high, and 30 
inches from the ground. At the same level, and 5 inches to 
the west of the ambry, there was an Early Decorated double 
piscina, which was apparently about 3 ft. 6 in. high, and 
3 ft. 2 in. wide ; but the top was very nearly destroyed. In 
one of its lower corners a square hole, 24 inches by 18, had 
been made quite through the wall in the Perpendicular period, 
to serve as a squint communicating with Dr Thompson's 
chantry. It was so arranged, as just to avoid the wall of the 



14 THE HISTORY OF ST JOHN'S COLLEGE CHAPEL. 

Perpendicular domestic buildings, which formed the eastern 
side of the chantry. At about 7 inches to the east of this 
piscina there was what looked like a large Perpendicular 
sham window, 7 ft. 5 in. wide, but only 4 ft. 9 in. high. This 
apparent window had never been a real window. It was 
divided into five spaces, resembling the lights of a window, 
but which might perhaps be more properly called panels. 
These panels may have come from some other place, as they 
bore the matrices of small brasses, apparently turned upside 
down. On one of the panels the name iohn. overall and also 
C : I : C : R were rudely cut as with a pocket-knife. The door 
to the chantry, situated behind this panelled space, was 7 ft. 
from it, and in the Perpendicular style. It was 5 ft. 9 in. 
high, and 2 ft. 3 in. wide. On its eastern side the jamb of a 
rather wider doorway of Early Decorated date remained. 
This earlier door probably led into the sacristy, which most 
likely occupied the site of Dr Thompson's chantry. Over 
this door there was a broken space in the wall, which 
may have formed a niche for a statue ; and between the 
top of the door and that space there was a horizontal rough 
stone, from which an inscription may have been removed, 
(See PL 4.) 

The next opening in the south wall, with the exception of 
the windows, was between the two transverse walls. It formed 
a doorway (see Plates 1, 5 and 7,) 4 ft. 2 in. wide, and 8 feet 
high, but was placed internally under an arch 10 feet high, 
which did not extend through the wall. This doorway was 
quite close to the western transverse wall, and between it and 
the eastern of those walls there was. a small holy-w r ater stoup. 

The wall on the north side of the quire seems to have 
been originally continuous, except that there were three fine 
Early Decorated windows in it. These, like all the others, 
were altered in Bishop Fisher's time, by the insertion of 
narrower and lower Perpendicular windows in their places. 
Each of these was put centrally in the old window-space; 
the old mouldings being left untouched but embedded in the 
wall. This applies also to the inserted windows on the south 
side, with the exception of that over Thompson's chantry, 
which was placed as far to the west as the opening would 



THE INTERIOR OF THE CHAPEL. 15 

allow, so that it might be just clear of the domestic buildings 
of the college, which were erected at that time. At the 
same date or very soon afterwards, the most eastern of 
the northern windows was wholly removed, but its former 
existence was shewn on the destruction of the wall, by a 
small part of one of its sides remaining embedded in the wall, 
and in its original place. The space formed by the removal 
of this window and the wall beneath it was filled by three 
good but late Perpendicular arches, opening into Bishop 
Fisher's chantry, and over them by a fine wide but low 
Perpendicular arch, which connected the chapel with a 
chamber over that chantry. This arch (PI. 2) was 10 ft. 5 in. 
high, and 7 ft. 11 in. wide. The three arches beneath it 
(now called the Fisher Arches) have been removed from this 
place, and re-erected as a memorial of Bishop Fisher, at the 
end of the south transept of the new chapel. As the chantry 
into which they opened occupied the whole space between 
the infirmary and the chapel, it could have no windows to 
the north, but had one small window to the west, and that 
alone. Probably the passage (iV on Plan 2) was then formed 
and prevented any eastern window being possible. The 
chamber over it had a window at each end, as well as 
one on its north side, opening above the wall of the 
infirmary. It is difficult to discover any use for this room, 
with its fine open arch communicating with the quire, unless 
possibly an organ was placed in it. But I am not aware of 
any instance of an organ so placed in a mediaeval building. 
The chantry thus occupying the whole space between the 
old buildings, a part of the south wall of the infirmary was 
made to serve as the north wall of the chantry : the outside of 
the infirmary wall thus becoming the inside of the wall of 
the chantry. Of course this blocked up some of the windows 
of the infirmary, but that was of little consequence, as the 
building had then ceased to be used for its original pur- 
pose. The wall of the infirmary did not rise much above 
its own Early English windows, but the wall wanted to form 
the north side of the supposed organ-chamber was built 
upon it in the 16th century. The original line of the roof 
of the infirmary is shewn in Plate 10 by a horizontal series 



1() THE HISTORY OF ST JOHN'S COLLEGE CHAPEL. 

of holes, and the line of a later roof, passing across the closed 
Perpendicular window of the " organ-chamber," may also be 
seen. The square-headed doorway to the right in that view, 
was a way made at a late period, to afford access to the 
chamber when it was converted into a dwelling-room by 
L. Pilkington (A.D. 15G0). He then doubtless built up the 
arch which opened into the chapel, concealed the fine oak 
ceiling with plaster, and totally disguised the character of 
the room. Probably the organ, if ever in this chamber, was 
at this time removed to replace the rood (which most likely 
stood on the rcod-loft during the reign of Queen Mary), and 
the chamber being thus rendered of no use, the master took 
possession of it, and converted it to his own benefit. 

In removing the wall between this arch and the next 
window to the west, a stone was found imbedded in the wall 
low down between them on which the name of Thomas 
PYLKINGTON was twice scratched with some sharp instrument, 
also the name (as far as it could be deciphered) of Rob. 
Boket, and a mark similar to those used by notaries public. 
T. Pylkington was elected a fellow of the college in 1580, 
and this discovery shews that some material alteration or 
repair took place at that spot soon after the middle of the 
16th century. 

There seem to have been old stalls which did not cover 
so much of the wall as those lately in use : for at a height of 
10 feet 4 inches from the old pavement there was a string- 
course extending all along both sides from the east end to 
the position of the eastern quire-arch. It was cut away to 
allow of the close application of the late stalls to the wall. 
There was also a stringcourse between the springs of the 
arches of the windows. At the eastern quire-arch the 
character of the masonry altered : it was in equal courses to 
the east, and in alternate broad and narrow courses between 
the arches. In the recent state of the building all the 
interior peculiarities were hidden by high linen-pattern 
pannelling and above it with plaster. Between the two 
transverse walls there was a Perpendicular window in the 
north and another in the south wall, but no trace could be 
found of any earlier openings ever having existed there. 



THE INTERIOR OF THE CHAPEL. 17 

It has been already stated that only the western of these 
transverse walls remained. It was 3 ft. 3 in. thick, and the 
grand Early Decorated arch which pierced it was 15 ft. 6 in. 
wide and about 30 ft. high. The height of the fine oak 
ceiling of the whole modern chapel was about 32 ft., but as 
the level of the floor had been raised it was difficult to 
determine the original height exactly. The western arch 
had been closed below by a stone screen, flush with its 
western face and about 9 ft. 3 in. high. All that remained 
of the other transverse wall was the foundation with its base 
mouldings, which exactly corresponded with those of the 
western wall, but the traces of its attachment to the north 
and south walls could be seen quite up to their top. This 
arch seems to have been of the same size as the other, and 
was closed by a screen flush with its eastern face. Thus an 
inclosed space was formed under the tower, opening by a 
great arch into the quire, and by another similar arch into 
the nave, both closed below by high stone screens, and 
entered from without by the small doorway in the south wall 
which has been already described. The great Early Deco- 
rated arch which remained was almost hidden and very 
much injured by the modern organ and its loft being placed 
in it (PL 3). 

Such an arrangement as this, where a tower much 
narrower than the building is placed between the nave and 
quire, was not unusual in the churches of the minor orders.- 
But the presence of the two screens is a considerable diffi- 
culty, although the two arches were to be expected. One 
screen would have been quite sufficient to separate the 
part used by the Augustinian brethren from that open to 
the public. 

The nave, which was 44 feet long, had certainly two 
Early Decorated windows, one to the north over Ashton's 
chantry and one to the south over that of Keyton, but both 
had been altered into Perpendicular ones at the same time 
as those in the quire. The sill of the Perpendicular windows 
was 11 feet from the floor. There may possibly have been 
one window in each wall to the west of these, but all trace of 
them had vanished, and I doubt if they ever existed. At 

2^ 



18 THE HISTORY OF ST JOHN'S COLLEGE CHAPEL. 

the time when Bishop Fisher's alterations were made, this 
short nave was divided into two parts; one to form an 
ante-chapel and the other to become a part of the master's 
lodo-e 1 . The wall between these parts had two doors, and 
divided a late window in the south wall so as to admit light 
from it into each division. The arch and door of Ashton's 
chantry were on the north side of the portion reserved to 
form part of the chapel. They were Perpendicular in style. 
Under the arch which originally opened into this chantry, 
but which was built up at the time when the chantry itself 
was appropriated by the master, the monument in comme- 
moration of Dr Ashton, which is now placed in the north 
transept of the new chapel, originally stood. The door and 
arch of Keyton's chantry were on the south side of the same 
space. Probably they were both built up at the time when 
the chantry was removed. The arch was 7^ ft. wide, but 
only 4 ft. 2 in. high, and nearly flat with an ogive ornament 
above (PI. 6). The slab, which may have borne an effigy or 
been intended for one, was 5 ft. above the old pavement, and 
had a panelled space below it with three large shields of much 
defaced heraldic bearings. The door of this chantry was 
7 ft. high and 2 ft. 9 in. wide. It was not arched, but closed 
above by two stones leaning against each other (PI. 1). On 
the outer edge of one of these stones the name of I. Chester, 
1657, had been cut, shewing that the door had not been at 
that time so effectually built up as was afterwards the case ; 
for in recent years no trace of this doorway or the arch could 
be detected externally. 

There was a doorway in the angle between the north wall 
and the quire-arch, which gave access to a turret-stair leading 
to the organ-loft. The wall of this turret, which projected 
slightly on the outside of the chapel, was partly old and 
partly modern, Access to it had originally been obtained by 
a door 2 ft. 3 in. wide, in the north-west corner of the space 
under the tower. This latter doorway was quite closed and 
partly removed, when the modern access to the staircase was 
formed. This probably happened when the chapel was re- 

1 Similarly at Jesus College a considerable part of the nave of the Church 
was cut off to form tho Master's lodge within its walls. 



THE INTERIOR OF THE CHAPEL. 19 

modelled by Bp. Fisher, for the wall closing the doorway was 
quite hidden by stalls of that date. 

The other division of the original nave was altogether 
modernized. It was divided by two floors into chambers to 
form part of the lodge, and very late Perpendicular windows 
and doors were inserted, so as best to afford access and light to 
them. Thus all trace of the original state of the interior of 
this part of the building was obliterated ; and as even the 
roof over it was not similar to that put upon the part retained 
as a chapel by Fisher, reasonable doubt existed of its ever 
having formed part of the chapel, until the discovery of the 
original west window and other traces of the older state of the 
building were found in the walls. Such of the mouldings be- 
longing to this window as could be recovered, are given on 
PL 8. The ground- floor formed an approach to the chapel, to 
the master's lodge, and to the combination rooms. For this 
purpose three doorways were made in the old walls, one to 
the first court of the college as the entrance, one in the north 
wall to give access to the turret-stair leading to the lodge, 
and one at the north-east end of the western wall as a way to 
the combination rooms. The great west window was almost 
entirely removed, and fire-places and flues inserted where it 
had been. Apparently the original entrance to the quire was 
on the north side, nearly, but not exactly, in the same place 
as the door to the stairs leading to the lodge (this will be 
noticed again when treating upon the outside of the building), 
for there were no traces of a south or west door except that 
of late Perpendicular date, forming the modern entrance to 
the chapel. They were searched for carefully when the walls 
were pulled down. The entrance referred to as used by the 
college seems to have been made for it, and was not an 
altered older doorway. It was closed by a fine original oak 
door, which, together with the arch, has been removed to form 
the entrance into the space to the north of the second court. 

From the great height of the east window it is clear that 
the original roof of the building must have had a very high 
pitch, but the ceiling put on by Bp. Fisher was almost flat, 
and did not extend over the secularized part, which had an 
ordinary roof like that of any other house. 

2—2 



20 THE HISTORY OF ST JOHN'S COLLEGE CHAPEL. 

The original floor was apparently about 2 ft. lower than 
the recent one in all the western part of the building. It 
was certainly 2 ft. lower on both sides of the transverse walls. 
But at the east end there was no trace of any lower floor than 
that which existed to the last, nor was it ascertained with any 
certainty where the difference of original level had com- 
menced, though probably the higher level did not extend 
far to the west of the site of the altar, which itself shewed 
signs of having been slightly lowered. 

The walls were decorated with fresco paintings in the 
time of the Hospital. Traces of them were found in various 
places, and especially the remains of a large and elaborate 
painting of St Christopher which existed behind the wain- 
scot in the secularized part of the nave. 



CHAPTER V. 

The Exteeior of the Chapel. 

We will now consider the exterior of the Chapel, which 
was at first quite simple and uniform in appearance. It 
formed a long and lofty building with a roof of very high 
pitch, and having a rather slender square tower rising out of 
the roof at a little to the west of the middle. The only devi- 
ation from regularity was caused by a sacristy attached to the 
eastern end of the south side, which must have had a low roof 
as there was a window over it; and a semicircular turret 
inclosing the rood-loft staircase near the middle of the north 
side, which probably did not rise higher than was absolutely 
required. The buttresses were arranged rather irregularly 
on account of the existence of the tower. There were two 
buttresses placed at right angles at each of the angles at the 
east and also at the west end; one between each of the 
windows of the quire on both sides; two on each side 
severally prolonging the transverse walls which supported 
the tower; and one on each side of the ante-chapel at a 
little to the east of its middle. There were three fine De- 
corated windows on each side, to the east of the tower, but 
only one could be discovered to have ever existed on each 
side to the west of the tower. There was a small low 
entrance doorway to the south of the tower; and a small 
doorway giving admission to the ante-chapel towards the 
western end of the north wall. The great east window 
occupied the greater part of the east end, and a corre- 



22 THE HISTORY OF ST JOHN'S COLLEGE CHAPEL. 

sponding but smaller window existed at the west end. No 
trace of any entrance, except those above mentioned, could 
be found, and there is no reason to suppose that any other 
ever existed. The walls were three feet thick, except at the 
west end, where the wall was only two feet thick, and the 
west window shewed by its mouldings that, although of deci- 
dedly Decorated style, it was erected at a somewhat later 
period than the rest of the building. It appears not impro- 
bable that the domestic buildings of the Hospital extended 
towards the south from the westernmost part of the ante- 
chapel, and that therefore no opening was required, even if 
possible, in that part of the wall ; that the entrance used by 
the brethren and connecting the chapel with the inhabited 
part of the house was that above mentioned, which opened 
under the tower; also that the laity were admitted into the 
ante-chapel by the door in the western part of the north wall. 
This latter door opened into a space having towards the east 
the infirmary, and towards the north St John's Lane, which 
bounded the site of the hospital on that side. Can the west 
end of the chapel and the western side of the domestic build- 
ings have abutted on the northern continuation of Milne 
Street 1 ? This seems likely, judging by the direction of that 
street where it now terminates at the south side of the great 
court of Trinity College. It is however right to state that we 



1 It seems probable that Milne Street commencing at Queens' College, 
passing through the site of King's College, and between Caius College and' 
Trinity Hall, up to the site of Michael House, did not stop there, but origin- 
all} 7 extended across what is now the great court of Trinity College by Michael 
House and King's Hall, the exact sites of which are not very clearly deter- 
mined. It probably passed in front of the present Master's lodge of Trinity 
College and communicated at right angles with the lane upon which tbe gate 
in the tower of King's Hall (now the clock-tower of Trinity College) opened. 
That lane was closed when Trinity Chapel was built, for it stands partly 
upon the site of the lane. From this point it seems much more probable that 
Milne Street continued by a nearly straight course across the west side of the 
present first court of St John's College, where the west end of the chapel 
of the Hospital must have abutted upon it, and then along the line of a 
recently closed thoroughfare called the Globe Passage into Bridge Street; 
than that it should (as has been supposed) have curved towards the east and 
leaving St John's Hospital to the left have gone along St John's Street to 
join Bridge Street. If the clock-tower of Trinity College is on its original 
site, as I quite think is the case, Milne Street can hardly have extended from 
the part of it still in existence behind Caius College to the east side of St 
John's Hospital, for that tower and the court of King's Hall must have been 
exactly in its way. But my readers must judge for themselves, as there is 
nothing more than probability to guide us. 



THE EXTERIOR OF THE CHAPEL. 23 

could not discover any traces of the foundations of the sup- 
posed domestic buildings, although we searched as far as it 
was admissible to disturb the pavement of the college court. 
They may have been removed together with the buildings 
themselves, when the first court of St John's College was 
formed, and the stones used in the walls of the new buildings 
then erected. 

The ground at the east end of the chapel has risen one 
foot nine inches since that part of the edifice was built, so 
that the earth-table was quite buried. This must have taken 
place before any covered passage went round the east end. 
That passage has existed from the time when Bp. Fisher 
erected the college buildings, and may have been much 
older. 

The intervals between the buttresses varied considerably, 
as also did their thickness ; some were 2 ft. 3 in. thick, others 
3 ft. 3 in. Commencing from the east end, the intervals 
between the first, second, and third buttresses were 19 ft., the 
fourth interval was only 10 ft. 7 in., because the buttresses 
were required to resist the thrust of the great arches sup- 
porting the tower; the fifth space, was again, 19 ft. wide, and 
the last was 22 ft. 6 in. in width. 

We thus obtain a good idea of the appearance of the 
chapel of the hospital, but when altered to suit the college 
it was very much changed for the worse. All the fine 
old windows gave place to smaller Perpendicular windows 
inserted in the original openings ; the pitch of the roof was 
much lowered, a low embattled wall was built in front of the 
east end to form a passage from the infirmary and to connect 
that old building with the college buildings in one continuous 
front, for both of these buildings projected to the east of the 
chapel. The space (N on Plan 2) thus inclosed and roofed was 
lighted by three small Perpendicular windows of three lights, 
one of these windows opened into a small space (e) used as 
a gyp-room for the adjoining rooms (0), and the other two 
gave light to the passage (JT) which led to the small court 
(d) between the chapel and the infirmary. In order to admit 
of an easy approach to this passage, the two buttresses at the 
S.E. angle of the chapel were removed, and some way must 



21 THE HISTORY OF ST JOHNS COLLEGE CHAPEL. 

have been made through or round Dr Thompson's 1 chantry 
which replaced the old sacristy. We are not informed of 
the time when these alterations took place, nor if, as is most 
probable, they were made when the wall in front of the east 
end was erected. We do not know what use was made of 
the space (N), but it probably became a passage when Dr 
Whitaker altered the infirmary into rooms in 1587 — 8. 

Looking now at the south side, a part of the first bay was 
overlapped by the domestic buildings (0) of the College, and 
the wall of the chapel was extended up to the street by a 
new piece which had no real connection with the old wall, but 
only continued it in the same line. The remainder of this 
bay and the second buttress were included in Dr Thompson's 
chantry (Jc), which was, as we learn from Loggan's view, a low 
building projecting considerably into the court. It had 
small Perpendicular windows in its two free sides (for r one 
side of course adjoined the chapel, and another was quite 
close to the domestic buildings, and so could have no win- 
dow), and communicated with the chapel by a narrow 
doorway placed quite close to the second buttress, and by 
a squint already mentioned as opening into the Decorated 
piscina, and so slanted as just to clear the wall of the 
domestic buildings. This chantry existed in 1707 (Baker, 
92), but was afterwards so completely removed that we 
could find very slight traces even of its foundations. When 
the excavations were made for the foundation of the new 
lecture-rooms, clear proofs of the former existence of a rect- 
angular building (perhaps the old sacristy) were discovered, 
but none of the bay window of Dr Thompson's chantry. 
These foundations extended 9 ft. into the court from the 
eastern side of the second buttress, and were then carried 
parallel with the wall of the chapel up to the college build- 
ings. Probably the additions made to these foundations when 
the sacristy was altered into a chantry for Dr ThomjDson 
were very slight, or consisted only of the bay window, and 
were easily removed when the chantry was pulled down. 
On the east side of the Perpendicular doorway to the chantry 

1 Dr Thompson was Master of Christ's College and Vicc-Chancellor twice 
in succession, A.n. 1509—10 and 1510—11. 



THE EXTERIOR OF THE CHAPEL. 25 

one jamb of the old Decorated doorway of the sacristy remained 
in the wall, and it is not easy to conceive the cause of the 
old opening being altered at the time when the use and 
form of these buildings were changed. On the western side 
of the foundation of the sacristy and external to it, a small 
portion of pavement formed of glazed tiles was met with at a 
depth of 2£ feet below the present level of the ground. It 
is not known how far this pavement extended, as further 
excavation could not be made. 

The doorway between the fourth and fifth buttresses had 
been permanently closed and plastered over externally, and 
hidden by the stalls within the building. 

Further to the w T est was Key ton's 1 chantry (X) ; an 
oblong rectangular building not projecting so much into the 
court as that of Dr Thompson. Its east and west sides were 
continuations of the fifth and sixth buttresses. ' There was a 
buttress at each of the angles and one in the middle of the 
south side. Also, there were two small windows in the south 
side. It opened into the ante-chapel by the door and low 
arch already described. This chantry is shewn in Loggan's 
view (A. d. 1668), but w T as not remaining when T. Baker 
became a fellow in 1680 (Baker, 90). 

Nothing original remained on the south side of the 
chapel to the west of this chantry, but there was a small 
three-light Perpendicular window, and doorway of the same 
date forming the entrance to the chapel of the college. 
If the idea that the domestic buildings of the Hospital here 
adjoined the chapel is correct, the absence of any ancient 
feature in this part of the wall is accounted for. If they 
were not here, some other building must have existed of 
which we know nothing ; for otherwise there would surely 
have been an Early Decorated window here. 

The large west window had completely disappeared, and 
all trace of it was hidden by the erection of the combination 
rooms (D) against the west end of the old chapel and the 
Master's lodge over them. The door recently used as an 
entrance to the combination rooms from what had been the 

1 For an account of Dr Keyton, see Baker's History, p. 92, and Cooper's 
Athena, i. 48. 



26 THE HISTORY OF ST JOHN'S COLLEGE CHAPEL. 

western part of the ante-chapel had no ancient features ; and 
as there does not seem to have been any want of a door at 
this spot, one is not likely to have existed before it was 
required for the convenience of the college. A large fire- 
place had been made below and outside the original west 
window for the combination rooms, and another was inserted 
at a little above the sill of that window, also on its outside 
for the Master's study, and others both within and without 
to warm the bedrooms of the lodge. The wall on both sides 
of the window and above it had been nearly destroyed and 
rebuilt in a very rough manner. But a portion of one of the 
jambs and a small part of the other, a fragment of the window- 
sill and the springing of the arch, remained in the wall and 
came to light on its removal. As this wall had ceased to be 
external and become only a party-wall between dwelling- 
rooms, the weakness caused by these mutilations was not of 
much consequence. 

Returning now to the east end, and taking the north side 
of the building, we will proceed as before. The two buttresses 
at the north-east corner were embedded in the wall of Fisher's 
chantry (I), in such a manner that its eastern wall was as 
much to the east of the east end of the chapel, as the 
buttress projected from that wall. This chantry also ex- 
tended beyond the second buttress on the north side of the 
chapel, and that buttress had been removed, together with 
the whole of the north wall between it and the north-east 
corner of the original building, and replaced by the arches 
already described as opening into this chantry, and by the 
wide arch connecting the supposed organ-chamber and the 
chapel. These two chambers were ceiled with fine carved 
oak. As the north side of the chapel was very much out of 
view, the workmen in Fisher's time did not think it neces- 
sary to remove all trace of the old work from it, as they did 
from the south side. Thus the Early Decorated string- 
courses remained untouched, and some parts of the hood- 
mouldings of the windows were also visible. It was therefore 
from the study of this part of the building, that Professor 
Willis arrived at the conclusion, that much of the early 
work remained hidden in the walls, and it was here that 



THE EXTERIOR OF THE CHAPEL. 27 

Sir G. G. Scott went to discover the form and tracery of the 
original windows. In the view of the remains of the in- 
firmary (PI. 10), the outline of the top of one of the old 
windows is shewn, as well as part of the Perpendicular 
window inserted in its place, as they appeared after Sir 
G. G. Scott's examination of them. 

Then followed three Perpendicular windows, of which two 
replaced Early Decorated ones, but the third (between the 
fourth and fifth buttresses) had been added in Fisher's time, 
for no trace of an original window could be found, when the 
wall was carefully examined. A fifth buttress may never 
have existed, as it would have been in the way of the stair 
and its slightly projecting turret, which led to the rood-loft, 
and perhaps to the upper part of the tower. 

Ashton's 1 chantry (31) occupied the space between the 
west side of that turret and the position of the sixth buttress, 
of which also all trace had been removed, and the wall of the 
chantry had taken its place. It was a low oblong rectangular 
building with a nearly flat roof and fine oak ceiling. It had 
a window to the east, another to the west, with a small 
external door by its side, and two windows opening to the 
north. This chantry had long since been separated by a 
wall from the ante-chapel, the entrance from the chapel built 
up, and the room itself appropriated as an outhouse for the 
lodge. 

To the west of Ashton's chantry there was a large brick 
turret (much like those in the second court), enclosing a stair 
which formed the main entrance to the lodge, and also gave 
access to the upper rooms in the Master's occupation. Very 
much of the wall to the west of this turret was modern, i.e. 
built for the College, not the Hospital (as was also the 
turret itself), and had modern openings made in it to suit 
the convenience of the lodge. But enough traces of the 
original wall remained, to shew that it was not wholly re- 
built. Fragments of the two Early Decorated string courses 
were also in their original places ; one at the level of the old 
window-sills, and the other at that of the springs of their 

1 Concerning Hugh Ashtorj, see Baker's History, p. 93, and Cooper's 
AthencB, i. 26. 



28 THE HISTORY OF ST JOHN S COLLEGE CHAPEL. 

arches. When the brick turret which led to the lodge was 
taken down, it was found that the lower of those stringcourses 
suddenly rose 13 inches, so as to pass over a doorway. This 
was apparent only on the west side, as more of the wall had 
been removed on the other side of the door, to form the 
much larger opening wanted for the turret. When the wall 
itself was taken down, the two lowest stones of the eastern 
jamb were found in their original place, and shewed by their 
mouldings (PL 8) that this doorway belonged to the Deco- 
rated building. This is the doorway mentioned above, as the 
entrance probably provided for the use of the laity, when 
admitted to the ante-chapel. The lower stringcourse was 
9 ft. 4 in. above the ground, but where it passed over the door 
it rose to 10 ft. 7 in., and afterwards fell again to its original 
level, which it retained until it reached the north-west angle 
of the building. It then again rose 4 inches to pass close 
under the west window. 

All these walls seem to have been originally built of 
squared blocks of excellent clunch, but they were repaired 
by Bp. Fisher with any materials that could be procured. 
They therefore presented a very ruinous appearance in some 
parts, when the plaster was removed. Even the mouldings 
of the doors and windows, and of the great quire-arch, were 
formed of clunch. But amongst these blocks many pieces of 
much harder stone were interspersed. These must have 
formed parts of an older building, as amongst them there were 
some very fine bold specimens of the dog's-tooth ornament. 
It is of course impossible to conjecture to what edifice they 
may have belonged, but it was probably some part of the 
original domestic buildings of the Hospital, which had to be 
removed, when the chapel was built in the 13th century. 

I have now concluded all that it seems requisite to say 
concerning this interesting building, which no longer exists, 
but of the details of which it was desirable that some record 
should remain. 



CHAPTER VI, 
Inscriptions on Tombs in the old Chapel. 

When the old chapel was pulled down, it was considered 
advisable to leave the slabs covering the graves of those who 
were interred within it in their places, and to mark out the 
site by not removing the foundations of the old building. 
Those monuments which were attached to the walls have 
been removed into the new chapel. The following are the 
inscriptions on the slabs remaining unmoved. 



In the old Ante-chapel. 

H.S.E. | Georgius Langshaw, S.T.B. | Coll. Soc. | Ob. Die 
Feb. xx. | A. S. 1843. MT. xxxvu. 

H.S.E. | Johannes Palmer, S.T.B. | Litterarum Arabicarum | 
Olim Professor | Hujus Collegii Socius Senior | Obiit | 
Apr. IX. a.d. mdcccxl. | MT. 71. 

Josephus Taylor, S.T.B. | Collegii Socius | Obiit SO Jun. A. D. 
1836 | JEt&t. 37. . 

Gulielmus Jones, S.T.B. | Collegii Socius Senior | Obiit Apr. 

XXIL [ A. D. MDCCCXXXIV. | iET. XLIV. 

Gawen Brathwaite, S.T.B. | Socius Collegii | Obiit Oct. xxx. 
I MDCCCXIV. I Anno iEtatis XL. 



30 THE HISTORY OF ST JOHN'S COLLEGE CHAPEL. 

H.S.E. | Thomas Baker, S.T.B. | Collegii hujus olim Socius 
| Qui ex Senatus Consulto, A. D. 1716 ejectus | in his 

iEdibus | Hospes postea consenuit; | Pius, modestus, 

doctus | Antiquitatis peritissimus | Obiit Jul. 2, 1740, 

ML 84. 

Shield of Arms, ' on a saltire engr. five escallops, on a 
Chief a lion passant.' 

H.S.E. Gulielmus Tatham, S.T.B. | Hujus Collegii Socius | 
Ecclesiee de Oakley Magna | In Agro Essexiensi Rector. 
| Natus vi. Id. Jun. A. D. m.dcc.Lxxxvii. | Decessit v. 
Kal. Septembr. | m.dccc.xxxiv. 

Radulphus Tatham, S.T.P. | Hujus Collegii Per xviii. Annos 
Magister | Decessit xix. Jan. A. d. m.dccc.lvii. | ^Etatis 
suas LXXIX. 

(These two are on the same slab.) 

In the old Quire. 

Jacobus Wood, S.T.P. | Hujus Collegii per xxiv. Annos 
Magister | Decanus Eliensis | Decessit xxm April., a.d. 
m.dccc.xxxix. | iEtatis suae lxxix. 

Gulielmus Craven, S.T.P. | Magister Collegii | Electus 
Mart. 29, 1789. | Obiit Jan. 8, 1815. | Anno ^Etatis 85. 

Joh. Chevallier, S.T.P. | Magister Collegii | Electus Feb. 1, 
1775. | Obiit Mart. 14, 1789. | Anno jEtatis 59. 
[A fine brass in memory of Eudo (or Guido or Ivo) de la 
Zouch was in this place. The slab remains, but the remnants 
of the brass have been removed into the room under the 
new organ chamber and fixed to the wall. No inscription 
remained, but fortunately the arms of Zouch in an early 
form, "Bezantee, a canton," exist on part of the brass. 
This shews that the tradition that it is the tomb of a De la 
Zouch is correct. But the reason is not apparent why so 
eminent a man as Eudo de la Zouch, the first free Chancellor 
of the University, A.D. 1396, was buried in the Chapel of 
St John's Hospital.] 



INSCRIPTIONS ON TOMBS IN THE OLD CHAPEL. 31 

M.S. | Gulielmi Samuel Powell, S.T.P. | Hujus Collegii per 
decern annos | Prgefecti | Archidiaconi Colcestriensis, | et 
Ecclesise de Freshwater in Insula Vectis | Rectoris. | Qui 
Collegii reditibus | conservandis et augendis | juventuti 
instituendae ornandae regendae, | Academiae Ecclesia3 
Reipublicae tuendis, | vitam heu nimium brevem | fortiter 
et feliciter impendit. | Obiit Januarii 19 no 1775, Natus 
annos 58. 

Depositum | Roberti Worsley, AR. | 1714. 
(His monumental slab will be found in the South Transept of the new Chapel.) 

M.S. | Joannis Newcome, S.T.P. | Decani Roffensis; | Pro 
Domina Margareta | Praslectoris Theologici; | et | hujusce 
Collegii | per triginta fere annos | Praefecti integerrimi 
| Obiit 10 Jan. 1765. | Anno ^Etatis 82. 

M.S. | Depositum | " Viri admodum Reverendi | Humfredi 
Gower^S.T.P. | Coll. Div. Johannis | Preefecti | S. Theol. 
pro Dna Margareta | Professoris | Ecclesiae Eliensis | 
Canonici | Qui Collegium per annos | Triginta et amplius | 
Strenue ac feliciter | Rexerat | Obiit xxvn Martii anno- 
que | Dom. mdccxi | JEt. suas 74.' 

Shield of Arms. A chevron between three wolves' heads 
erased. 

[This monument is nearly covered by the new lecture-room building, but is 
relieved from pressure by an arch. The inscription is taken from Coles' MS 
as quoted by Prof. Mayor, "Hist, of St John," p. 995. The uppermost lines' 
and the Arms alone being accessible.] 



Tablets to the memory of the following^have been removed into 
the new Chapel, and placed in the south Transept. 

(It has not been considered necessary to copy the whole of each inscription 
as the tablets are in the Chapel.) 

Gulielmus Windsor Windsor-Clive, 
Natus 11 Aug. 1837, 
Obiit 24 Sept. 1857. 



32 THE HISTORY OF ST JOHN'S COLLEGE CHAPEL. 

Gulielmus Wilson, S.T.B. Socius Collegii, 

Obiit 1799, 

iEtatis suse 38. 

Thomas Catton, S.T.B. Socius Collegii, 

Obiit 6 Jan. 1838, 

iEtatis suae 79. 

Jacobus Savage, A.B. 

Obiit 19 Apr. 1855, 

JStatis sujb 22. 

Isaacus Pennington, Eques auratus, M.D. 

Socius Collegii, Chemise denique 

Medicinse Professor, 

Obiit 3 Non. Feb. 1817, 

iEtatis suae 72. 

Georgius Langshaw, S.T.B. Socius Collegii, 

Obiit 20 Feb. 1843, 

iEtatis suce 37. 

Gulielmus Pakenham Spencer, A.M. olim 

Socius Collegii, de Starston Rector. 

Obiit 16 Aug. 1845, 

iEtatis suse 45. 

Robertus Worsley, films R. Worsley de Appledercomb, 
Obiit 2 March, 1714, 
iEtatis suce 19. 



On the West side of Tower. 

Henry Kirke White 
Died 19 Oct. 1806, 
Born 21 Mar. 1785. 

(Removed from the old Church of All Saints and placed here 
22 June, 1870.) 



INSCRIPTIONS ON TOMBS IN THE OLD CHAPEL. 33 

Carolus Fox Townshend 
Obiit IV Non. Apr. 1817, 
Vixit annos 21. 



In the North Transept. 

" Gulielmus " Whitakerus, hujus gymnasii Magister, 
Obiit (c.) 1594. 

G. D. Whittington 

Obiit Aug. 1807. 

iEtatis suse 27. 

Johannis Smith, S.T.P. 
Canon of Durham. 

Born in 1659. 
Died 30 July, 1715. 

Christopher Jackson, Socius Collegii, 
Obiit 1528. 

To the South of the Quire Arch. 

Nicholas Metcalfe, Magister Collegii, 
Obiit 4 July, 1537. 



CHAPTER VII. 

The New Chapel. 

At a meeting of the Society held on May 28, 1861, the Master 
and Seniors were requested to undertake the erection of a 
new Chapel without delay. This work had been considered 
in the college for many years and architects had been con- 
sulted about it: but the funds at the disposal of the Society 
were not sufficient to authorize its being carried into effect 
until that date. One chief moving cause of the measures 
then taken was the sermon preached at the annual com- 
memoration of benefactors, on May 6 in that year, by the 
Rev. Prof. Selwyn. The work was placed in the hands of 
G. G. (now Sir Gilbert) Scott as architect, and the contract 
was signed June 15, 1863, and operations commenced im- 
mediately, by the removal of the old houses which stood on 
the intended site, and of the building then called the Laby- 
rinth. On May 6, 1864, the commemoration stone was laid 
by Henry Hoare Esq., M. A. This stone is at the base of the 
south wall of the south transept, and bears the following 
inscription on a brass plate: 

In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti hujus Sacelli 
fundamenta positasunt pridicNonasMaiasA.S.MDCCCLXIV. 
Georgio Gilberto Scott architecto. 



THE NEW CHAPEL. 35 

The exterior dimensions of the chapel are: 

ft. in. 

Length from east to west 103 l 

Breadth from north to south 52 

Length of transeptal ante-chapel from north to south 89 

Breadth from east to west 50 

The tower from north to south 42 

„ „ from east to west 41 

Height of chapel to top of parapet 50 

,, to ridge of roof 80 

„ of tower to top of parapet 140 

„ to top of pinnacles 1G3 

The interior dimensions are: 

ft. in. 

Extreme length from east to west 172 9 

Length from quire-arch to east end of apse 137 10 

Breadth of quire 34 

Height to the ridge of the vaulted ceiling G3 

Length of the transeptal ante-chapel from north to south 74 8 

Breadth in transepts ........ 32 

„ under the tower from east to west 29 8 

„ of tower from north to south 30 8 

The interior of the tower is open to the top of its second 
stage of windows, or 84 feet from the pavement. The upper 
part of the tower forms a chamber of which the interior 

dimensions are: 

ft. in. 

From north to south 34 3 

From east to west 33 3 

Height 40 

On the north side of the chapel there is an organ- 
chamber, 31ft. 10 in. long, 14ft. Gin. broad, and 33ft. Gin. 
in height from the floor to the apices of its vaulted stone 
ceiling. 

The tower opens into the quire by one large arch, and 
into each of the transepts by two arches. Its piers are of 
Ketton stone. The middle piers to the north and south have 
each four detached shafts of Peterhead red granite. The 

3—2 



3G THE HISTORY OF ST JOHN'S COLLEGE CHAPEL. 

other piers have clusters of shafts of Devonshire, Irish and 
Serpentine marbles. The abaci of all the piers are of black 
Derbyshire marble. There are shafts of Devonshire, Irish 
and Serpentine marbles at the sides of the windows in the 
ante-chapel, except of those in the second stage of the tower. 

The style of architecture adopted for this building is that 
usually denominated Early Decorated, which prevailed about 
A.D. 1280. As has been already mentioned, this was the style 
of the old Chapel, before it assumed its Tudor aspect, when 
repaired for the use of the College. 

Ashton's monument has been placed under the eastern 
of the two arches of the north transept. Dr James Wood's 
statue is placed facing eastwards under the great west window. 

The number of stalls is 98 ; the 22 easternmost of them on 
both the north and south sides were removed from the old 
Chapel. 

The arches of the Piscina already described were removed 
from the Infirmary, and placed on the south side of the 
sacrarium. 

The shafts under the principal ribs of the ceiling of the 
quire are broken for the insertion of statues representing: 

North Side. South Side. 

St John the Evangelist. St John, as Apostle. 

St Luke. St Paul. 

St Mark. St Peter. 

St Matthew. St Thomas. 

St Bartholomew. St Philip the Apostle. 

St James the Great. St Andrew. 

St Jude. St James the Less. 

St Matthias. St Simon. 

St Stephen. St Barnabas. 

St Philip the Deacon. St Silas. 

The shafts beneath these statues, and also at the sides of 
the windows, and of the arches opening into the organ- 
chamber, are formed of Devonshire, Irish and Serpentine 
marbles. 

The quire is paved from the screen to the sacrarium with 
Purbeck and Sicilian marble and encaustic tiles. The six 
steps leading up to the Communion Table are of Devonshire 
marble. 

The space between the first and second steps is laid with 



THE NEW CHAPEL. 37 

Purbeck, Sicilian and black Derbyshire marbles, and also en- 
caustic tiles. 

Between the second and third the same marbles are used, 
and there are also figures in white marble, inlaid in a ground 
of black Devonshire marble, with inscriptions. The twelve 
signs of the Zodiac also introduced here are a symbolical 
representation of the Celestial Sphere. Taken in order from 
north to south the scriptural subjects are ranged in two lines, 
and each is accompanied by an appropriate inscription. They 
are as follows: 

Moyses Propheta (Exodus xii. 26, 27). 
Moses at the burning bush (Exodus iii. 5). 

Zacharias Propheta (Zach. ix. 17). 

Moses in the midst of the gathering of manna 

(Wisdom xvi. 20, and Psalm lxxviii. 25). 

Malachias Propheta (Mai. i. 11). 

In the line above these there are 

Abel sacrificing (Gen. iv. 4). 

Solomon Bex, holding in his hand a model to rejjresent the 
Temple (Prov. ix. 1, 2, 5). 

Melchizedech bringing bread and wine and blessing Abram 
(Heb. i. 1; Gen. xiv. 18, 19). 

David Rex (Psalm lxviii. 19). 
Sacrifice of Isaac (Gen. xxii. 7, 8). 

To the north of these are figures representing 

Theologia and Philosophia, and to the south Geometria and 
Poesis. There are also four sedilia in the south wall. 

Between the third and fourth steps the same marbles are 
used, and there are figures representing in order, from north 
to south, Justice, Temperance, Faith, Charity, Hope, Humility, 
Fortitude. Here also in the south wall is the Piscina from 
the Infirmary. 

The space between the fourth and fifth steps is laid with 
Sicilian marble, with a border of Devonshire marble at the 
base of the walls. 



38 THE HISTORY OF ST JOHN'S COLLEGE CHAPEL. 

The fifth and sixth steps lead up to the space upon which 
the Communion Table stands. The table is of oak with a 
slab of Belgian marble for its top. Its front is formed of 
three deeply carved panels ; of which that in the centre 
represents the Lamb with the Banner ; that to the north the 
Lion as the emblem of St Mark ; that to the south the Eagle 
as the emblem of St John the Evangelist. The panel at 
the north end bears an Angel as the emblem of St Matthew, 
that at the south end the Ox as emblematic of St Luke. 

The whole wall of the sacrarium is arcaded by pairs of 
arches placed within larger ones, and decorated with shafts of 
Devonshire, Irish and Serpentine marbles. The abaci are of 
the red marble known as the Duke of Devonshire's marble, 
and were the gift of his Grace. Within each of the larger 
arches and above the two included smaller ones, there is a 
quatrefoil bearing an angel, appearing from a cloud, and 
playing on an instrument of music. The spandrels of the 
larger arches are carved in diaper work. 

The five windows in the apse are filled with painted 
glass which is the gift of the Earl of Poivis, High Steward of 
the University. Beginning on the north side their subjects 
are 

I. Christ the Light of the world. 

1. Patriarchs looking upwards in 4. Kings looking upwards in con- 
contemplation, templation. 

2. Our Lord washing the Disciples' 5. The Agouy. 
feet. 6. The Betrayal. 

3. Mary washing the feet of Jesus. 

II. Christ the true Manna. 

1. Prophets in contemplation. 4. Priests of Old Dispensation in 

2. Jesus hefore Caiaphas. contemplation. 

3. Jesus captive. 5. Behold your King ! 

6. Jesus scourged. 

III. Christ the spotless Lamb. 

1. Apostles in contemplation. 4. Apostolic men in contemplation 

2. The Crucifixion. 5. Descent from the Cross. 

3. Beuring the Cross, (j. St John taking the Blessed Virgin 

to his own home. 



THE NEW CHAPEL. 



39 



IV. Christ in Apocalyptic Vision. 



1. Martyrs (men) in contemplation. 

2. Lament over our Lord's body. 

3. Joseph begging the body. 



4. Martyrs (women) in contempla- 
tion. 

5. Entombment. 

6. Nicodemus bringing spices. 



V. Christ the Good Shepherd. 



1. Bishops and Doctors in contem- 
plation. 

2. The Kesiirrection. 

3. St Peter and St John at the 
Sepulchre. 



4. Priests and Deacons in contem- 
plation. 

5. "Noli me tangere." 

6. St Mary Magdalene at the Sepul- 
chre. 



On the south side, commencing from the Apse and taking 
them in succession, the glass in the windows represents 



1. The Blessing. (John xx. 19, 22.) 
The Consecration of Aaron. 

(Lev. viii.) 
In Memory of Sir Ralph Hare, 
given by his Exhibitioners. 

3. Descent of the Holy Spirit at 

Pentecost. 
Giving of the Law (Moses having de- 
scended from Sinai with the two 
tables). 

Given by Francis Sharp Powell, 
M.A. 

5. Beautiful Gate. (Acts iii.) 

(Acts iv. 5—14.) 
Not yet arrived. Given by Rev. 
H.H.Hughes,B.D., formerly 
Tutor. 



*7. St John ante portam Latinam. 

(Die. of Bible, i. 1107.) 
Reclaiming the Bobber. Poisoned Chalice. 

(Sacred and Legend. (Die. of Bible, i. 

Art. i. 166.) 1107.) 



2. The Ascension. 
The Ascension of Elijah. 

Given by Charles Bamford, 
M.A. 



4. If I will that he tarry till I come. 
(John xxi. 22.) 
It is the Lord. (John xxi. 6, 7.) 

In Memory of John Haviland, 

M. D., Prof, of Medicine. 
Given by the Rev. A. C. Havi- 
land, M.A. 

6. Council at Jerusalem. 

(Acts xv. 6, &c.) 
Centre Light. (Gal. ii. 9.) 
St Peter and St John confirming at 
Samaria. 

Given by the Rev. Steph. Park- 
inson, D.D., Tutor. 



St John at Ephesus, 
"Love one another." 



On the north side, commencing from the Quire-arch. 



8. Marriage at Cana — St John being 
present. Behold the Lamb of God 
— St John as one of the two dis- 
ciples. 

Given by William Cunliffe 
Brooks, M.A. 

*10. Raising of Jairus' daughter. 
(Mark v. 37.) 
St James and St John asking for 
highest places. (Matt. xx. 20.) 



*9. The Call of St John. (Matt. 

iv. 21.) 
St James and St John proposing to 

call fire from heaven. 

(Luke ix. 54.) 

11. Transfiguration. 
St Peter and St John sent to pre- 
pare the Passover. (Luke xxii. 8.) 
In Memory of William Paken- 
ham Spencer, given by Wil- 
liam Selivyn, D.D. 



* These are not provided for. 



40 THE HISTORY OF ST JOHN'S COLLEGE CHAPEL. 

Here follows the Organ-chamber. 

12. The Last Supper. (John xiii. 23.) 
Fall of Manna. 

In Memory of Aug. Vaughton Hadley, M.A. Born Sept. 27, 1833. 
Died Mar. 25, 18G7. Given by his pupils and friends. 

The Great West Window. 
The Last Judgment. 

In Memory of the Lady Margaret of Richmond. Presented by Bachelors 
and Undergraduates of the College, a.d. 1869. 

In the tower, above this west window, are three windows 
of which the central one is filled with fragments of old glass 
from the old Chapel. (The remainder of it is in the tracery 
of the windows of the Hall.) 

In the north face of the north Transept are two windows 
in memory of Ralph Tatltam, D.D., Master of the College, ivho 
died Jan. 29, 1857, given hy his brother and sister. 

Michael and his angels fighting These are they which follow the Lamb 

against the Dragon. whithersoever he goeth. 

Angel clothed Woman clothed (Eev. xiv. 4.) 

with cloud. with sun. StJohu seeing the 

(Eev. x. 1.) (Eev. xx. 1.) Angel flying with descent of the 

the Gospel. New Jerusalem. 

(Eev. xiv. 6.) (Eev. xxi. 2.) 

The east face of the north Transept. 

Eagle. Vision of our Lord St John addressing little 

(Eev. i. 13—16.) children. 
St John writing his 

Gospel. St John writing the (To represent him as 

Eevelation. writing his Epistles.) 

In Memory of John James Blunt, B.I)., Marg. Prof, of Theology. 
Died 17 June 1855, aged 60 years. 

Ceiling of the Quire. 

The Quire is vaulted with oak, in nineteen divisions, 
each of which is decorated in polychrome ; that nearest the 
east end has a representation of Oue Lord in Majesty. 
The others bear a series of figures illustrative of the 
eighteen Christian centuries: each division being appropri- 
ated to a century. Commencing from the east the illustra- 
tions proceed in order, those of the second, fourth, &c. 



THE NEW CHAPEL. 41 

centuries being on the north side; those of the third, fifth, &c. 
on the south side. The following is a list of the personages 
represented. 

Second Century. 

Ignatius, Bishop of Antioch. 
Poly carp, Bishop of Smyrna. 

Tliird Century. 
Origen. 
Cyprian, Bishop of Carthage. 

Fourth Century. 

Athanasius, Patriarch of Alexandria. 
Ambrose, Archbishop of Milan. 

Fifth Century. 

Chrysostom, Patriarch of Constantinople. 
Augustine, Bishop of Hippo. 

Sixth Century. 

Gregory the Great, Bishop of Rome. 
Augustine, first Archbishop of Canterbury. 
iEthelberht, King of Kent, Founder of the See of Canter- 
bury. 
Columba, Abbot of Iona. 
Benedict, Founder of Benedictine Order. 

Seventh Century. 

Paulinus, first Bishop of York. 

Edwin, King of Northumberland, Founder of the See of 

York. 
Etheldreda, Foundress and first Abbess of Ely. 
Sigebert, King of East Angles, mythical Founder of the 

University of Cambridge. 
Theodore, Archbishop of Canterbury, a great promoter 

of learning in England. 



42 THE HISTORY OF ST JOHN'S COLLEOE CHAPEL. 

Eighth Century. 

Winfrith (afterwards called Saint Boniface), first Arch- 
bishop of Mainz, called the Apostle of Germany. 

Bede, called the Venerable. 

Frideswide, Foundress of the nunnery at Oxford, which 
ultimately became the college of Christ Church. 

John of Damascus, a famous Theologian of the Eastern 
Church. 

Alcuin, Counsellor of the Emperor Charles the Great. 

Ninth Century. 

Alfred the Great, King of England. 

Photius, Patriarch of Constantinople. 

Adelard, Abbot of Corbie. 

Bertram or Ratram, author of treatise against Tran- 

substantiation. 
Edmund, King of East Angles, killed by the Danes, and 

canonized. 

Tenth Century. 

Otho the Great, Emperor, great promoter of Christianity 
in Germany. 

Dunstan, Archbishop of Canterbury. 

Vladimir the Great, Grand Duke of Russia, a great pro- 
moter of Christianity, and 

Olga, his grandmother. 

Edward the Martyr, King of England. 

Eleventh Century. 

Edward the Confessor, King of England. 

Peter the Hermit, Preacher of the first Crusade. 

Godfrey of Bouillon, Leader of the First Crusade, King of 

Jerusalem. 
Lanfranc, Archbishop of Canterbury. 
Ansclm, Archbishop of Canterbury. 



THE NEW CHAPEL. 43 

Twelfth Century. 

Adrian IV., the only Englishman who has filled the Papal 

Throne. 
Thomas, called a Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury. 
Bernard, Abbot of Clairvaux, Doctor Mellifluus. 
Hugh (Saint Hugh), Bishop of Lincoln. 
Matilda, Queen of Henry I. 

Thirteenth Century. 

Louis IX., King of France, Saint Louis the Crusader. 

Roger Bacon, Doctor Admirabilis. 

Hugh de Balsham, Bishop of Ely, Introducer of Secular 

scholars into St John's Hospital, and Founder of 

Pete'rhoiise. 
Robert Grostete, Bishop of Lincoln. 
Stephen Langton, Archbishop of Canterbury. 

Fourteenth Century. 

William of Wykeham, Bishop of Winchester. 

Edward II., King of England. 

Maria de Valence, Countess of Pembroke, Foundress of 

Pembroke College. 
William Bateman, Bishop of Norwich, Founder of Trinity 

Hall. 
Thomas Bradwardine, Archbishop of Canterbury, Doctor 

Profundus. 

Fifteenth Century. • 

Henry Chichele, Archbishop of Canterbury, Founder of 

All Souls' College, Oxford. 
Margaret of Anjou, Queen of Henry VI. > part-Foundress 

of Queens' College. 
Thomas a Kempis. 
Henry VI., King of England, Founder of Eton College and 

King's College. 
John Alcock, Bishop of Ely, Founder of Jesus College. 



4 -A THE HISTORY OF ST JOHN'S COLLEGE CHAPEL. 

Sixteenth Century. 

The central figure is 

Margaret, Countess of Richmond, Foundress of Christ's 

and St John's Colleges. 
John Fisher, Bishop of Rochester, is on the Countess's 

left, as also is 
Sir John Cheke, the first Greek Professor, Fellow of the 

College. 
Nicholas Metcalfe, Master of St John's College, is on the 

Countess's right, as also is 
Roger Ascham, Public Orator, Latin Secretary to Queen 

Elizabeth, Fellow of the College. 

Seventeenth Century. 

George Herbert, Public Orator, Rector of Bemerton. 

Jeremy Taylor, Bishop of Down and Connor. 

Thomas Ken, Bishop of Bath and Wells. 

Robert Leighton, Bishop of Dunblane, and Archbishop of 

Glasgow. 
Blaise Pascal, philosopher and mathematician. 

Eighteenth Century. 

William Beveridge, Bishop of St Asaph. 

Joseph Butler, Bishop of Bristol, and afterwards of 

Durham, the author of the Analogy. 
Fenelon, Archbishop of Cambray. 
C. F. Schwartz, Missionary to India. 
Sir Isaac Newton. 

Nineteenth Century. 

Henry Marty n, Missionary. 

William Wilberforce, anti-slavery Advocate. 

William Wordsworth, Poet. 

Thomas Whytehead, Missionary to New Zealand. 

James Wood, Master of the College. 

(These five were all members of the College.) 
; LofC. 



THE NEW CHAPEL. 45 

On the outside there are statues in the porch and on 
each of the buttresses : namely, 

On the north side of the porch, 

The Lady Margaret, Countess of Richmond. 

On the south side of the porch, 
John Fisher, Bishop of Rochester. 

Those on the buttresses are, commencing from the tran- 
sept, on the south side: 

1. Sir W. Cecil, Lord Burghley. 

2. Henry, Viscount Falkland. 

3. John Williams, Archbishop of York. 

4. Thomas Wentworth, Earl of Strafford. 

5. William Gilbert, physician to Queen Elizabeth, 
author of De Magnete. 

6. Roger Ascham, instructor of Queen Elizabeth. 

7. Mary (Cavendish), Countess of Shrewsbury. 

8. Richard Bentley, the great critic. 

At the east end: 

9. Edward Stillingfieet, Bishop of Worcester. 

10. John Overall, Bishop of Coventry and Lichfield, and 
afterwards of Norwich. 

On the north side, commencing from the east end, 

11. Peter Gunning, Bishop of Chichester and afterwards 
of Ely. 

12. Sarah (Alston), Duchess of Somerset. 

13. Thomas Clarkson, opponent of the Slave-trade. 

14. Brook Taylor, natural philosopher and mathema- 
tician. 

15. Thomas Linacre, founder of Physic lecture. 

16. 17. Two vacant. 

18. Thomas Baker, historian of the College. 



DESCRIPTIONS OF PLANS AND PLATES. 
Plan I. The Buildings as they appear to have existed 

IN THE TIME OF THE HOSPITAL \ 

A. The Quire of the Chapel. 
A*. The Nave. 

B. The Infirmary. 

Plan IL The Buildings as they existed when disused 
by the College. 

A. The college chapel and formerly that of the hospital. 
A*. The ante-chapel. 

B. The infirmary converted into rooms. 
D. The lesser combination-room. 

I. Bishop Fisher's chantry, which was used as part of 
the chapel, and filled with seats. 

K. Dr Thompson's chantry, of the foundations of which 
only faint traces remained. 

L. Dr Keyton's chantry, of which even the foundations 
had been removed. 

M. Dr Ashton's chantry, desecrated. 

N. Covered way to the rooms in the old infirmary. 

0. Students' rooms, part of the eastern side of the first 
court. 

P. Part of the original ante-chapel converted in the 
Tudor period into an approach to the master's lodge and to 
the chapel. 

Q. Stairs to master's lodge. 

d, A small court between the infirmary and the chapel. 

e. A gyp-room taken from the passage N. 

1 The diagonal shading shews the remains of the Chapel of the Hospital 
in the Early Decorated style. 

The crossed shading marks additions made for the use of the College. 
The black part is the original Early English infirmary. 



DESCRIPTIONS OF PLANS AND PLATES. 47 

Plan III. Shewing the relative position of the 
New Chapel and the Old Buildings. 

A. The cliapel of the hospital and the college. 

B. The infirmary, called in recent times the Labyrinth. 

C. The hall in its state before the recent alterations. 

D. The old combination-rooms. 

E. Part of the master's lodge. 

F. Students' rooms. 

G. The first court. 
H. The second court. 
/. The new chapel. 

K. Bishop Fisher's chantry. 

Plate 1. Middle of the south side seen from the 
Exterior. 

This view represents the middle part of the south side of 
the chapel. The two great buttresses in the centre are 
closer together than the others, and were intended to resist 
the thrust of the two transverse arches under the tower ; the 
window between them was inserted after the tower was 
removed in or about Bp. Fisher's time, for originally there 
was no window there. The other two Perpendicular windows 
replace two Decorated windows of the older building. At the 
left of the view is seen the doorway used by the College as the 
entrance to the chapel, but the Perpendicular arch which 
covered it had been removed before the view was taken. By 
the side of the doorway is the window which gave light 
to the spaces marked A* and P on the Plan 2, and was 
divided into two parts to do so. 

The windows above these belonged to rooms in the 
Master's Lodge, and were placed there in Bp. Fisher's time, 
when this part of the chapel was secularized. The string- 
course at the top was at the summit of the wall, just below 
the embattled parapet which had been already removed, and 
over the wall a portion of the new chapel is seen. 

To the right of the heap of bricks there are three open- 
ings through the wall, the existence of which was discovered 
when the inner side of the wall was uncovered. That to the 



48 THE HISTORY OF ST JOHN'S COLLEGE CHAPEL. 

left was the way into Keyton's chantry, which stood between 
the left hand and the middle buttresses and projected con- 
siderably. This was the doorway on the left-hand upper 
stone of which I. Chester had cut his name in 1657. The 
adjoining broader arch was over the altar-tomb of that 
chantry. The arch between the two buttresses to the left of 
that arch, was the way into the space beneath the tower, the 
inner side of which is shewn upon PL 5. The great quire- 
arch, the only one of the transverse arches which remained, 
and of which a view is given upon PI. 3, is seen through the 
central Perpendicular window. One of the original Deco- 
rated window openings is also seen through the right-hand 
Perpendicular window, and through it again we see a small 
portion of the new chapel. 

Plate 2. Eastern end of north side. Exterior. 

This view represents the outside of the north wall next to 
the east end. Unfortunately the hoarding hides the base of 
the wall. Above it are seen the tops of the three Perpendi- 
cular "Fisher" Arches (now removed to the south transept 
of the new chapel). Above them the position of a floor is 
shewn ; and above that the fine Perpendicular arch which 
opened into the supposed organ-chamber over Fisher's 
chantry. For we are looking from what was the inside of 
that chantry and the organ-chamber, which had then been 
recently pulled down. To the left of these remains, two of 
the original Decorated windows and the external wall with 
two of its buttresses are shewn, and the string-course at the 
springing of the window-arches ; also the line of the more 
modern roof. A portion of a buttress of the new chapel is 
also seen to the right. 

Plate 3. Quire-arch viewed from the east end of 

Chapel. 

m 
This is the only one which remained of the great arches 
which spanned the chapel and are believed to have supported 
the tower. It is a fine example of Early Decorated work. 



DESCRIPTIONS OF PLANS AND PLATES. 49 

The injuries at the springings of the arch were caused by the 
insertion of the organ-gallery. The beam crossing it at 
about that place is the front of a floor, placed across the 
ante-chapel at or after the foundation of the College. That 
floor was divided into two parts by a wall : the front or 
eastern part formed a gallery in the ante-chapel : the back 
part formed a portion of the Master's Lodge. The walls 
shewn in the view above and below this floor were at 
very different distances from the spectator : that below the 
floor was the limit of the modern ante-chapel ; the two doors 
into which are shewn on the right and left sides. It was a 
very slight partition-wall. The wall seen above the floor is 
much further off; it formed the back wall of a room in the 
Lodge, the front or eastern very slight wall of which was 
removed before the view was taken. The -wall here seen was 
a portion of the western wall of the original chapel of the 
Hospital, but none of the ancient part is visible in this 
view ; for the comparatively modern facing had not been 
removed, and the two doorways by which it communicated 
with the rest of the Lodge, and the inserted fire-place in this 
room, which was the Master's bed-room, are shewn. The 
apartments above this room had been pulled down, but the 
level of their floor is shewn. The timber of the original 
nearly level under-roof is also shewn. Above that are parts 
of the more modern roof, probably coeval with the college. 
Under the former of these roofs a small portion of the 
addition to the Hall is seen. 

Looking now at the parts represented as in front of the 
great arch, we see in the corner on the right-hand side the 
bricked-up doorway which originally led to the rood-loft 
staircase, and to the right of that, one of the inserted Perpen- 
dicular windows. And to the right of this window, traces of 
the attachment of the wall in which the eastern of the two 
great transverse arches formerly was ; the foundation of it is 
mentioned at p. 12. There is a similar trace of this wall in the 
south wall between the two Perpendicular windows shewn 
there. The arch which formed the entrance of this small 
space between the great arches is to be faintly seen under 
the ladder. 

4 



50 THE HISTORY OF ST JOHN'S COLLEGE CHAPEL. 

In the right-hand corner above, a small part of the new 
chapel is seen. 

The measurements of this arch were — height SO feet, 
width 15 feet. 

Plate 4. Eastern end of south side. Interior. 

The interesting remains here represented were found in 
the wall near to the eastern end of the south side. They 
have been described at p. 13. They were blocked up with 
stones and mortar, and quite covered by wainscoting of the 
Tudor period. 

On the left-hand side of the Plate there was a small 
ambrey, which was only separated from the eastern wall by a 
very small space. Next to it were the remains of the Deco- 
rated Piscina, in the lower rioht-hand ande of which the 
Perpendicular Squint, which opened into Thompson's chantry, 
is shewn. 

We next have the large panelled space resembling a 
Perpendicular window. And again, further to the right, we 
see the Perpendicular doorway which gave access to that 
chantry; and on the eastern side of which the jamb of an 
older doorway in the Decorated style may be traced. 

It is not known what was in the rectangular space above 
that doorway, or on the slab just over the top of the arch. 

The sill of one of the Perpendicular windows is shewn at 
t'he top of the Plate*. 

Plate 5. Doorway in south wall of the modern 
opening into the space under the tower. interior 

VIEW. 

This arch- was built up and quite hidden. It originally 
opened from the south side of the chapel into the space 
between the two great transverse arches under the tower. 
To the right of it is a part of that one of those walls which 
remained. To the left, near the bottom, a small part of a 
holy-water stoop may be detected, which had been so much 
injured as to shew little of its original character: it was as 
close to the eastern transverse wall as the doorway was to the 
western. Above the doorway a Perpendicular window is 



DESCRIPTIONS OF PLANS AND PLATES. 51 

shewn, which did not replace any former window. Through 
the arch a portion of the first court is seen as altered in the 
eighteenth century. 

Plate 6. Altar-tomb of Keyton's Chantry, seen from 
the interior of the chapel. 

This ogive arch was originally open on both sides. There 
were some very much defaced shields with heraldic bearings 
below the tomb. Keyton's chantry, with which this tomb 
was connected, existed until a late period. The door on the 
right hand of. the view closed a space used by the choristers, 
and formed out of the doorway leading to that chantry, but 
all traces of the arch were removed from the inner side. 

Above the arch are shewn spaces, concerning the use of 
which we have no information. 

Plate 7. The Piers of the Great Arches near their 

base. 

This represents the two piers adjoining the south w T all 
and the doorway between them. It lias not been thought 
necessary to represent the corresponding northern piers. 

Plate 8. The JamB and Sill of the great West Window, 
and the Jamb of the Door near ?he west end of the 
north wall. 

Plate 9. £lan of East Window. 

This is taken from a rubbing of the original stone upon 
which the mediaeval architect had sketched the details of 
the great east window. 

Plate 10. Remains of Infirmary. 

This plate was engraved for use in illustration of a paper, 
published by the, Cambridge Antiquarian Society, in the 
second volume of its Antiquarian Communications. It repre- 
sents the inner side of the eastern end of the south wall 
of the Infirmary, as it appeared after the coat of plaster by 
which all the details were hidden had been removed, and the 



52 THE HISTORY OF ST JOHN'S COLLEGE CHAPEL. 

rubbish that filled the arches taken out. Before that was 
done the wall presented only a plain whitewashed surface. 

We see the range of Early English windows and the 
square opening noticed on page 7 ; below them the modern 
doorway in which the man is standing, which was driven 
through the wall to afford access to the Infirmary building 
after its conversion into rooms; next to it the Piscina, now in 
the new Chapel; further on an older doorway, which must 
have once communicated with Fisher's chantry; again, fur- 
ther to the left, the mere outline of the ancient south door of 
the Infirmary. Beyond these remains another modern door- 
way had been made in the wall to give access to the small 
court between the Infirmary and the Chapel. On the face of 
the wall above the Early windows are seen traces of several 
successive roofs: the upper one crossing the Perpendicular 
window which gives light to the supposed organ-chamber, 
acoess to which was obtained by a staircase leading to the 
square-headed doorway to the left, which is shewn as recently 
bricked up. 

To the right and left of these buildings parts of the 
Chapel are seen. The portion to the right shews one of the 
Perpendicular windows, and above it a portion of the pointed 
arch of the Early Decorated window, which had been pre- 
ceded by it when the Chapel was altered and repaired for 
the use of the College. 

Plate 11. A Voissoir of the Triplet at the east end 
of the Infirmary, 

From drawings by Prof. Willis and Rev. D. J. Stewart. 

The Jamb of one part of the same Triplet, 

Drawn by the same gentlemen, to whom I am indebted for 
permission to use their very accurate drawings. 

Plates 12 and 13. The Piscina and its details. 
An account of this will be found at page 9. 



CAMBRIDGE I PRINTED BY C. J. CLAY, M.A. AT THE UNIVERSITY PRESS. 



Pfon A "J. 




MILNE STREET ? 



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Plan No. 3. 




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LOOKING WEST. 




DOORWAY IN SOUTH WALL OF QUIRE 

INTERIOR VIEW. 




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Plate S. 




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51 



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Fig. 2. 



DETAILS OF PISCINA IN THE INFIRMARY. 



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-7.4 



BY THE SAME AUTHOR. 



ANCIENT CAMBRIDGESHIRE: or an Attempt to trace 
Roman and other ancient roads that passed through the county of Cam- 
bridge. Macmillan and Co. 3s. 6d. 

MANUAL OF BRITISH BOTANY, containing the flowering 
plants and ferns arranged according to the Natural Orders. Ed. 7. 
Van Voorst. 10s. 6d. 

FLORA OF CAMBRIDGESHIRE : or a Catalogue of Plants 
found in the county of Cambridge. Van Voorst. 7s. 

THE BRITISH BUBI : an Attempt to discriminate the Species 
of Rubus known to inhabit the British Isles. Van Voorst. 5s. 



EDITED FOR THE SYNDICS OF THE CAMBRIDGE 
UNIVERSITY PRESS. 



HISTORY OF THE COLLEGE OF ST JOHN 
THE EVANGELIST, 

by Thomas Baker, B.D., Ejected Fellow. Edited by John E. B. 
Mayor, M.A., Fellow of St John's. Two Vols. Demy 8vo. i\s. 



" It may be doubted whether there is any 
MS. in existence which Cambridge men have 
been more anxious to see committed to the 
press, under competent editorship, than the 
History of St John's by that Socius Ejectus 
Thomas Baker, whose life Walpole desired 

to write It is perhaps well for Baker's 

reputation .... that it was reserved for so 
peculiarly competent an editor as Mr Mayor 

to give this history to the world If it be 

highly to the credit of the Syndics of the 
Pitt Press to have printed the book, the 
manner in which he has edited it reflects 
no less credit upon Mr Mayor." — Notes and 
Queries. 

"To antiquaries the book will be a source 
of almost inexhaustible amusement, by his- 
torians it will be found a work of considerable 
service on questions respecting our social 
progress in past times ; and the care and 
thoroughness with which Mr Mayor has dis- 
charged his editorial functions are creditable 
to his learning and his industry." 

A then&um. 

" The work displays very wide reading, 
and it will be of great use to members of the 
college and of the university, and, perhaps, 



of still greater use to students of English 
history, ecclesiastical, political, social, literary 
and academical, who have hitherto had to be 
content with 'Dyer.'" — Academy. 

" It may be thought that the history of a 
college cannot be particularlyattractive. The 
two volumes before us, however, have some- 
thing more than a mere special interest for 
those who have been in any way connected 
with St John's College, Cambridge; they 
contain much which will be read with pleasure 
by a far wider circle. Many of the facts 
brought under our notice are of considerable 
value to the general historical student. . . . 
Every member of this ancient foundation 
will recognize the worth of Mr Mayor's 
labours, which, as it will appear, have been 
by no means confined to mere ordinary edi- 
torial work. . . . The index with which Mr 
Mayor has furnished this useful work leaves 
nothing to be desired. We congratulate him 
on the completion of his labours, and sin- 
cerely echo the wish expressed by him that 
in return for the benefactions they enjoy, 
other fellows of colleges will explore their 
hidden treasures and bring them into the 
light of day." — Spectator. 



THE UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE FROM 
THE EARLIEST TIMES TO THE ROYAL 
INJUNCTIONS OF 1535, 

by James Bass Mullinger, M.A. Demy 8vo. cloth (734 pp.), \Zs. 



A very cursory inspection of the Table of 
Contents will suffice to shew that the subject 
of university history has here been approach- 
ed from a somewhat different point of view to 
that of previous labourers in the same field. 
The volume is neither a collection of antiqui- 
ties nor a collection of biographies ; nor is it 
a series of detached essays on questions of 
special interest or episodes of exceptional im- 
portance. It is rather an endeavour to trace 
out the continuous history of a great national 



institution, as that history presents itself, not 
only in successive systems and various forms 
of mental culture, but also in relation to the 
experiences of the country at large ; and at 
the same time to point out in how great a 
degree the universities have influenced the 
whole thought of the educated classes, and 
have in turn reflected the political and social 
changes in progress both at home and abroad. 
— Extract from Preface. 



CAMBRIDGE: DEIGHTON, BELL AND CO. 
LONDON: CAMBRIDGE WAREHOUSE, 17 PATERNOSTER ROW. 



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